Explosive payloads are delivered in a variety of vehicles including missiles, gun-fired projectiles, bombs and the like. The explosive initiator within such vehicles must survive the gun-firing environments that include acceleration, balloting and muzzle exit deceleration.
Many of the desired targets are located within hardened structures that have impact and explosive resistant walls or structures (e.g., overlying rock and/or concrete). Successful delivery of the payload to the target often requires penetration of the payload through the protective structure followed by detonation within or near the target.
Impact and penetration of the delivery vehicle and explosive payload transmits significant shock loads to the sensitive materials within the vehicle and may cause significant acceleration, deceleration, rebounding of materials, and movement of materials relative to other sensitive components (e.g., rapid lateral deflection during impact/penetration). One example of rapid lateral deflection during impact/penetration is sometimes referred to as tail slap. The initiator that is used to detonate the explosive payload can be sensitive to these types of things.
As an example, any shock loading and rapid deceleration of the delivery vehicle may transmit unwanted stress to the explosive charge within the initiator. The stress may cause the explosive charge to crack and correspondingly prevent proper initiation of the charge, thereby resulting in the failure of the explosive payload to detonate.